Kolpino is a small town in Kolpino district of
St. Petersburg, Russia. Here, in a building that once was occupied by a tire
shop, Kolya Afanasyev and three more men with musculoskeletal disorders decided
to do their powerlifting workouts, despite the lack of heating and sports gear (for
example, they have to do the benchpress on a too-short handmade bench with the
head on a chair). They started their workouts in Kolpino
Department of the Russian Association of People with Disabilities in a warm but
small room, which they had to leave in the end of summer of 2016, as it was
used to create a few workplaces for the Association members. That's how the
sportsmen ended up in non-sporting conditions they will have to put up with
until they find the money for renovation of their new gym.

Kolya Afanasyev is one of those people with infantile
cerebral paralysis who live an active and eventful life. He recently turned 36,
and he has been into powerlifting for half a year. Over the last month, Kolya was preparing for
his first competition; he had a workout every second day. On December 18, 2016
he won his first prize: he was third among the athletes with musculoskeletal
disabilities in Nevsky District Powerlifting Cup.

In addition to powerlifting, Kolya has been horseback
riding for seven years. His accomplishments in equestrian sport are way more
significant and include countless awards from competitions of all sorts. Once a
week he goes to train in Pavlovsk. “My first horse was Venus. She was quiet, we
were on the same wavelength, she and I. Then I had Bublik, he was slow and
thought about nothing but food. The next one, Beauty, was zippy. And now it's
Chubarik, he's the big boss over all the horses there. And still he gets scared
when a truck goes by, or when snow falls from the roof”, Kolya says.

Earlier in life Kolya was keen on photography
and participated in some contests. "Some ten years ago I wanted to learn
how to properly take photos. I mastered the techniques and then they offered me
to take part in the "Sights" contest exploring the life of people
with special needs in today's society. I photographed people with disabilities.
But I gave up on it after two years”.

From the age of 5 to 18, Kolya lived in a care
home in Peterhof where he received the necessary medical attention: he could
neither hold his head up nor walk. Kolya has speech difficulties, but it does
not prevent him from being outgoing. In the care home, he got his education and
learned the basic adult life skills. “We used to go to a village in Leningrad
region where people taught us some farming and how to live independently. There
were sewing and knitting workshops there. But I learned to knit from a nurse”. Knitting
was easy to master; in just a week, he could both knit and knook. “I can make
anything, socks, sweaters, vests, footie socks. But only as the mood takes me. I
knit things for my family, or for someone else, as a gift”.

Now Kolya lives with his mother and his elder
sister. His mother is on pension, she doesn't work anymore. Kolya and his sister
do. “I've been working since 2002. I thought I should get a job because my
pension was not enough to live on.” Kolya works as a cleaner at three car
parkings.

“If something more interesting comes up, why
not try it ”, Kolya says about his future plans. “Actually, I would love to
travel more. No matter where. Just wherever
my feet may take me”.